Toe-nay-does, Grad-gee-ations, and Y-ons

Wow. A lot has happened since my last post. I'll make a list of things I have done in the past 7 days.

1. Watched a lot of The Weather Channel.
I am a doppler radar expert. After growing up in middle Tennessee, I have learned a lot about tornadoes, wall clouds, radar "hooks", rotation, high pressure/low pressure meeting points, and various shades of doppler radar colors. I could probably be a meteorologist. Both last Monday and Wednesday, I totaled at least 10 hours of doppler time.
*Note: Chris and I survived both storms with no damage. Except possibly some brain cells from hours of mindlessly watching strobe-light lightning.

This is an accurate representation.

2. Spent an hour in a 5'x7' bathroom with 18 kids, 2 teachers, and no ventilation.
Tornado warnings that occur while we are in school mean we get to hide in the bathroom until the storm has passed. It was hot. And stinky.

4. Drove from Knoxville to Mississippi in the direct route of the April 27th tornadoes.
This was a humbling road trip because it took us through Chattanooga (Ringgold), Birmingham, and Tuscaloosa. We needed to stop for gas in north Georgia, but the gas station had about 50 people waiting in line. Thinking this was weird, we decided to keep driving. Bad choice. Apparently the first 100 miles of Alabama was completely out of power, including every gas station from the Alabama state line until Gadsden. Fortunately, little Nemo, being a hybrid, made it just far enough. This celebration was short-lived as we hit the outskirts of Tuscaloosa. We never saw the serious damage, but just the interstates surrounding were enough to give us a clue. Exit signs were bent in half. Trees were still being cleared from the interstate. Signs were blown out. And we were still miles from ground zero. Humbling.


5. Watched a Royal Wedding...at 4:00 am.
I loved it. It was sappy and perfect. My sister-in-law Sarah made bread pudding for the occasion. I learned what a troth was.


6. Got glasses.
As I suspected, I have astigmatism. In both eyes. The solution:

I look much cuter when I haven't spent all day with preschoolers.

7. Watched Sarah graduate from Mississippi State University!
Very terrible graduation speech from some lady. You probably had to be there, but if you were in Jamaica in '08, think Dennis and his random advice on credit cards and laundry detergent. It was similar. But in the end, Sarah walked the stage, didn't trip, and got her bachelor's degree in educational psychology!
--Side bar-- I took one Ed Psych class in college, and it was the hardest, most terrible class I took in all 4 years + grad school. Major props to Sarah for majoring in this!

We definitely did not pretend like she was in Hogwarts...

8. Got to see my cousin Ashley's adorable new home in Birmingham.
It's precious and I want to steal it. We also had lunch with Ashley and Jimmy, and transported my grandmother back to her home which had been without power since Wednesday's storms. Almost a success. We stole her shower bag. But it's in the mail now, Memom!

9. Tie-dyed t-shirts.
My class is going on a field trip to Knoxville Zoo this Friday. In preparation, we tie-dyed t-shirts for all the kids and teachers today. I'm not really sure what kind of person enjoys tie-dying things, but it's not me.

10. Fixed car parts without a mechanic.
Okay, this one is all Chris, but since this is an O'Brien Adventure, and he's the original O'Brien in this family, it's worth mentioning. He changed the air filter, reverse light, and license plate light. This may not be impressive to anyone, but it's impressive to me.

LOVE. HIM.

11. Finally, this is just a funny story.

 I have morning duty this week. Some of the kids found a packet of flashcards and were trying to figure out what the animals were. They found a card similar to this one and called together a brain trust to figure it out. After much debate, one of them figured out that the letter was Y. More deliberating.... and another announced, "It a Y-on! It's a Y-on with horns!"
For those of you who don't get it, my kids can't pronounce /L/ sounds, so "Y-on" = lion. Aaand....laugh.



Adventures in Cooking: I have not cooked one single thing this week. :-) But we did eat Jason's Deli tonight, so I technically prepared my own salad and ice cream.

You Know Your Hair is Too Long If...: You develop chronic neck pain from trying to flip your hair over your shoulder without using your hands, and have to get a special pillow for said neck pain. 

Person I'm Missing Today: My mom and our hours of laying by the pool with no sunscreen.

We should enter look-alike contests.

Bible Verse that Rocks Today:
Proverbs 24:17 "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles."
*I think it is important to remember that God created Osama bin Laden and does not rejoice when anyone rejects Him, sealing an eternity in Hell. Bin Laden and I deserve the same punishment for our sins.